Spruce beer - opinions?

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Laripu
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Spruce beer - opinions?

Post by Laripu » Wed Jul 19, 2017 5:03 am

Here's my first stab at a recipe.
The idea is that this is almost a fizzy soft drink. It needs to be low alcohol, and a little sweet.

Spruce beer
For 11 litres:
680 g Crystal 10L
170 g Pilsener DME
85 g black treacle
7 g East Kent Goldings (60 min)
Irish moss last 15 minutes of boil
Gelatine in secondary
45 ml spruce extract at bottling
45 g white sugar at bottling to prime

It calculates to 2.1% abv and 9 IBU

The yeast will be the sediment of whatever beer I siphoned off it.
Secondary FV: As yet unnamed Weizenbock ~7%
Bulk aging: Soodo: Grocery store grape juice wine experiment.
Drinking: Mostly Canadian whisky until I start brewing again.

WalesAles
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Re: Spruce beer - opinions?

Post by WalesAles » Thu Jul 20, 2017 5:36 pm

Lari,
Is the Spruce extract Glycol based?
If it is, your beer will be flat and lifeless.
There are other extracts on the market that will do the job.
It is on JBK somewhere, I can`t remember where. #-o

WA

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Laripu
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Re: Spruce beer - opinions?

Post by Laripu » Fri Jul 21, 2017 1:00 am

WalesAles wrote:Lari,
Is the Spruce extract Glycol based?
If it is, your beer will be flat and lifeless.
There are other extracts on the market that will do the job.
It is on JBK somewhere, I can`t remember where. #-o

WA
I haven't bought it yet, as the beer won't be brewed until September. But your warning will be heeded. There are many varieties available here too, either from my LHBS or mail order off t'interwebsh. :)
Secondary FV: As yet unnamed Weizenbock ~7%
Bulk aging: Soodo: Grocery store grape juice wine experiment.
Drinking: Mostly Canadian whisky until I start brewing again.

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Laripu
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Re: Spruce beer - opinions?

Post by Laripu » Wed Sep 06, 2017 4:50 am

Well, it's fermenting.
As usual, I start with one recipe and end up with something completely different. Also, I can't seem to make a low gravity beer to save my life.

Here's what I did today, for 11 litres:
1.5 kg Briess Rye LME (actually only 20% rye)
455 g crystal rye, steeped
455 g 120L crystal malt
110 g Briess midnight wheat
30 g Lyle's black treacle
10 g East Kent Goldings pellets
Irish moss
US-05 from the bottom of the primary FV of my previous batch

Grain was steeped at 152°F to 156°F for an hour. Hops boiled for 50 minutes, then LME was added and boiled for another 10 minutes. Cooled. Yeast pitched.

I'll add 2g of pure Stevia and some spruce extract just prior to bottling.

It will be called "Don't Bring Me Down: Spruce".
That's right: from the Eclectic Laripu Öl-kitchen.
Secondary FV: As yet unnamed Weizenbock ~7%
Bulk aging: Soodo: Grocery store grape juice wine experiment.
Drinking: Mostly Canadian whisky until I start brewing again.

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orlando
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Re: Spruce beer - opinions?

Post by orlando » Wed Sep 06, 2017 7:30 am

What the hell is midnight wheat?
I am "The Little Red Brooster"

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Drinking: Southwold Again,

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Re: Spruce beer - opinions?

Post by Laripu » Wed Sep 06, 2017 11:48 am

orlando wrote:
Wed Sep 06, 2017 7:30 am
What the hell is midnight wheat?
It's the name Briess gives to their black wheat malt, 550L.
http://www.brewingwithbriess.com/Produc ... erless.htm

The idea is that since wheat lacks husk, dark roasted wheat will not have bitter and astringent qualities. It imparts only roasted flavours and colour.
Secondary FV: As yet unnamed Weizenbock ~7%
Bulk aging: Soodo: Grocery store grape juice wine experiment.
Drinking: Mostly Canadian whisky until I start brewing again.

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Re: Spruce beer - opinions?

Post by orlando » Wed Sep 06, 2017 12:54 pm

Agh, so like a wheat version of Carafa 3?

On another note, about dark things, how familiar are you likely to get with Irma?
I am "The Little Red Brooster"

Fermenting:
Conditioning:
Drinking: Southwold Again,

Up Next: John Barleycorn (Barley Wine)
Planning: Winter drinking Beer

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Re: Spruce beer - opinions?

Post by Laripu » Wed Sep 06, 2017 1:33 pm

Like that, but no dehusking required.

Irma... the probabilities right now show that we're not likely to get hurricane force winds in my area. But we are likely to get tropical storm force winds. Enough to take down weak branches from oak trees and damage weak roofs. Areas near the Gulf of Mexico or Tampa Bay will possibly get flooded. (Unlikely where I live, 30 to 50 miles in.)

Probabilities change every six hours based on flights into the storm and various models ... so no one really knows for sure.
Secondary FV: As yet unnamed Weizenbock ~7%
Bulk aging: Soodo: Grocery store grape juice wine experiment.
Drinking: Mostly Canadian whisky until I start brewing again.

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orlando
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Re: Spruce beer - opinions?

Post by orlando » Wed Sep 06, 2017 2:02 pm

Laripu wrote:
Wed Sep 06, 2017 1:33 pm
Like that, but no dehusking required.

Carafa 3 I believe is dehusked.
Irma... the probabilities right now show that we're not likely to get hurricane force winds in my area. But we are likely to get tropical storm force winds. Enough to take down weak branches from oak trees and damage weak roofs. Areas near the Gulf of Mexico or Tampa Bay will possibly get flooded. (Unlikely where I live, 30 to 50 miles in.)

Probabilities change every six hours based on flights into the storm and various models ... so no one really knows for sure.
Reports here have apocalyptic tones to them, with some Carib islands sounding like they will be wiped from the face of the Earth. At least it's nothing to do with global warming, Trump's team reassure me. :roll:
I am "The Little Red Brooster"

Fermenting:
Conditioning:
Drinking: Southwold Again,

Up Next: John Barleycorn (Barley Wine)
Planning: Winter drinking Beer

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orlando
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Re: Spruce beer - opinions?

Post by orlando » Wed Sep 06, 2017 2:02 pm

Laripu wrote:
Wed Sep 06, 2017 1:33 pm
Like that, but no dehusking required.

Carafa 3 I believe is dehusked.
Irma... the probabilities right now show that we're not likely to get hurricane force winds in my area. But we are likely to get tropical storm force winds. Enough to take down weak branches from oak trees and damage weak roofs. Areas near the Gulf of Mexico or Tampa Bay will possibly get flooded. (Unlikely where I live, 30 to 50 miles in.)

Probabilities change every six hours based on flights into the storm and various models ... so no one really knows for sure.
Reports here have apocalyptic tones to them, with some Carib islands sounding like they will be wiped from the face of the Earth. At least it's nothing to do with global warming, Trump's team reassure me. :roll:
I am "The Little Red Brooster"

Fermenting:
Conditioning:
Drinking: Southwold Again,

Up Next: John Barleycorn (Barley Wine)
Planning: Winter drinking Beer

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Laripu
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Re: Spruce beer - opinions?

Post by Laripu » Wed Sep 06, 2017 2:49 pm

orlando wrote:
Wed Sep 06, 2017 2:02 pm
Reports here have apocalyptic tones to them, with some Carib islands sounding like they will be wiped from the face of the Earth. At least it's nothing to do with global warming, Trump's team reassure me. :roll:
That sarcastic remark gets made at our house twice a day. :)

The storm is very dangerous and those reports are probably accurate.

It has a long way to go before it gets to Tampa, so the path isn't determined with certainty. If it gets here as a Cat 4 or 5, you won't be hearing from me for a while because there won't be electricity. Well know more in 3 or 4 days about the path.

This site
http://www.nhc.noaa.gov/
gives the latest info displayed in many different ways.
Secondary FV: As yet unnamed Weizenbock ~7%
Bulk aging: Soodo: Grocery store grape juice wine experiment.
Drinking: Mostly Canadian whisky until I start brewing again.

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orlando
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Re: Spruce beer - opinions?

Post by orlando » Wed Sep 06, 2017 3:33 pm

Florida Keys seems to be favourite.
I am "The Little Red Brooster"

Fermenting:
Conditioning:
Drinking: Southwold Again,

Up Next: John Barleycorn (Barley Wine)
Planning: Winter drinking Beer

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Laripu
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Re: Spruce beer - opinions?

Post by Laripu » Wed Sep 06, 2017 6:05 pm

orlando wrote:
Wed Sep 06, 2017 3:33 pm
Florida Keys seems to be favourite.
At the moment it looks like the Keys and Miami and the Bahamas are in trouble. Puerto Rico and the Dominican Republic will be badly affected.

Puerto Rico is part of the US, and many PRs work on the mainland (e.g. my ex-supervisor, some other engineers with whom I work too). If many houses on PR are destroyed, I expect a big migration to the mainland.
Secondary FV: As yet unnamed Weizenbock ~7%
Bulk aging: Soodo: Grocery store grape juice wine experiment.
Drinking: Mostly Canadian whisky until I start brewing again.

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orlando
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Re: Spruce beer - opinions?

Post by orlando » Wed Sep 06, 2017 9:45 pm

Need another wall then. :lol:
I am "The Little Red Brooster"

Fermenting:
Conditioning:
Drinking: Southwold Again,

Up Next: John Barleycorn (Barley Wine)
Planning: Winter drinking Beer

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Laripu
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Re: Spruce beer - opinions?

Post by Laripu » Wed Sep 06, 2017 10:43 pm

orlando wrote:
Wed Sep 06, 2017 9:45 pm
Need another wall then. :lol:
No, they're already citizens. :D PR is part of the US.

DT is going to have trouble with his wall. Congress won't pass a bill to fund it. He can squawk all he wants, but it won't happen. :D
Secondary FV: As yet unnamed Weizenbock ~7%
Bulk aging: Soodo: Grocery store grape juice wine experiment.
Drinking: Mostly Canadian whisky until I start brewing again.

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